Banana crate



P. G. HATCHER. BANANACRATE FILED OCT. I8. 1921.

Jan. 9, 1923. I

WIT/V58? I 6 c7" 5 A TTORNEYS Patented Jan 9, 1923. v

I tense 'rnnsroiv one immense, or Joimsnoiso, ARKANSAS.

. Barrens cne'rn Application filed October 18, 1921. Serial No. 508,5ee.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be 1t known that I PhESTUN Unit i i 7Haronnn a citizen o'iithe United States i i g I i g and a resident orJonesboro, in the county oi: Craighead and State of Arkansas, haveinvented certain no and useful improvements in Banana Crates, of whichthe followingis a specification. i

This invention relates to wooden receptacles, and more particularly toan improved crate especially"adapted for shipping bananas or the likesuch as when the bananas are shipped in abunch on the stalk. The primaryobject of the invention is to provide a folding crate especially adaptedfor shippingbzinanas as specified and which may be readily folded orcollapsed so as to occupy a niininiiun z nnount of space whenreturnedand which zitthe some time may be very economically produced aswell as presenting a ready-built construction which is both strong anddurable so as towithstand rouglrusage in shipment end more adeptable forgeneral use and for packing purposes, said crate being provided with abottom portion and an inside hoop at the top adapted to maintain thecrate or basket in an open or eiitended position, as well as permittingthe-lining thereof with piiper and the provision of a top of plain wood,basket material such as reed or other woven ma! terial of at similarcharacter, paper or cloth, either of these materials working); successfully with the construction illustrated, without the necessity oremploying; expensive hooks, hinges, or fasteners of any sort.

Qther initl further objects of my invention will become readilyfapparentto persons skilledyin the art, from a" consideration of the followingdescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

F igure 1 a perspective view of the improved banana crate folded orcollapsed.

l iguire 2 a longitudinal sectional ViBW thereof showing the crateextended or set up for" use, and s Figurefi is a top plan View thereof.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in

which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several viewegmy improved banana crate is shown as comprisi ig; a,series of longitudinal staves or stri s 10 preferably ofrelatively thin,

and lig t wood or the like, in the manner of barrel stoves, but disposedin upwardly painted to branching or divergent relation from the bottomportion 1i prcierably consisting of ii solid piece otwood of circular orother form in plan, thus providing intervening spaces 12 eniarginginwidth toward the top of the crate. The star or strips 10 are connectedat a plurality of spaced points preferably at the ends or top and bottomportions of the crate and intermediately at equi distantly spacedpointsby means of flexible strips or hoops 13 of narrow and thin stripsof strap iron or tin, preferably protect the same from rusting andhaving the ends thereof-secured in overlapping relation to the coves asindicated at 14;, staples or the like 15 being employed for securingsaid hoops toull of the staves.

in this manner, mvingg to the flexibility or bendable charai'zter oi thehoops, the crate may be readily collapsed from the extended or openposition of circular cross section or the like, as shown in Figures 2and 3, to the relatively flat form shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. Thebottom portion '11 is secured to the inside of one of the staves by aflexiblestrip ofsheet metal indicated at '16, thus forming ahinge forthe bottom which i may be swung between the staves when collapsed, inthe manner hown in dotted lines in Figure 1 of the draw ng fromtheposition shown in Figure 2. The strip is secured to the side of thestave and to the top face of the bottom portion '1 and will readily bendto permit the folding thereof as shown in Fig. 1, or to allow the sameto drop orto be folded down to theposition shown in Figure 2 in order tohold the crate in position and iit the sainetiine form a bottom forsupporting the bananas or other material shipped therein. in order toliinit the'movement of the bottom to the position shown in provided, thesame consisting of strips of sheetn etal rebent upon themselvesintermediately as shown at 18, said rebent portionbeing offset inwardlyto form shoulders while the leg portions are disposed in contact asindicated at 151 and secured by a Figure 2, a plurality oi": lugs orstops 1? are I i a I claim is the same being secured together asindicated at 21 and hinged to the same stave as the bottom portion by aflexible metallic or sheet metal strip 22 extending; inwardly, saidstrip being secured to the outer face of the ring or hoop 20 and to theside of thestave so as to permit the hoop to bend in-.

wardlyto the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, when the crate1s collapsed or to be extended against the other staves 1n order to holdthe crate in form in conjunction with the bottom plate as heretoforedescribed. ln order to hold the hoop 20 in this position, a plurality ofclips 23 are secured to spaced staves of the crate at the outsidethereof and are in the form of doubled or relatively stiff sections ofsheet metal securedagainst the enter faces ofthe same as indicated at9A; and bent over the top edges thereof anddownwardly and inwardly inspaced relation thereto as indicated at 25 in Figure 3 so as to receive.

the [hoop 2O beneath the same, that is between the downwardlyandinwardly bent portions forming the clips proper and the inner faces ofthe stares so as to trictionally hold and retain the hoops in thisposition;

as clearly shownin Figures 2 and 3 ofthe drawings. v y y y A llnlng ofpaper or the like indicated at preferably consists of two sections andthe top of the crate may be disposed in any suitable manner as by acircular piece of wood corresponding to the bottom pertion 11, top ofbasket material such as reed, or'of paper or cloth. It will beseen thatthe construction described obviatesthene- "cessity of employingexpensive hooks. fast-c eners or hinges of any sort and the device istherefore extremely light inweioght and maybe easily collapsed or set upfor use.

In View of the foregoing it is thought that 1 the operation of thedevice will be readily apparent and in View of the simplicityandpractical value that it will readily commend! itself to those skilled inthe art,

Havingthus described my invention what 1.Acrate of prising stavesextending longitudinally of the crate, flexible strips encircling andconnecting the stares, a bottom hinged to one of thelstaves at theinside and colla sible therewlth, said botto being adapted tobe openedout to hold the crate in form, and

a hoop. at the top of'the crate hinged to a stave, and adapted to holdthe top portion of the crate extended form,-

the classdescribed connjhold said i 2, crate of the class describedC0111 prising staves extending longitudinally of the crate, flexiblestrips encircling and connecting theistaves, a bottom hinged to one oi":the staves at the inside and collapsibletherewith,

said bottom being adapted to be swung outwardly to hold the crate inform, a hoop hinged to a stave adjacent the upper end thereof and to theinside thereof to swing inwardly in opposite direction to the swing ofthe bottom portion, whenthe stares are collapsed together with theflexible strips thereof,a lining and top portion engaging said hoop, andclipscarried by certain of the staves and lisfposed in spaced relationto the inside of said. stares hold frictionally said hoop therein whenthe erate is extended.

3.'A crate of prising staves extending longitudinally of the crate,flexible strips encircling and connecting; the staves, a bottomhinged'to of the staves, atthe inside and collapsible.

one

to receive and the class described com therewith, said. bottom beingadapted to be opened out to hold the crate in form, and a hoop at thetop of the crate and also hinged tothe same stave that the bottom ishinged to, and adapted to'hold the topportion of the crate in extendedform. r I i 4. A crate of the class described con1- prising the crate,-endless flexible strips encircling; and connecting the staves, a bottomhinged to one of the staves at the inside 'and' fold able thereon, saidbotto beino'adapted to be swung outwardly to hold the crate in form,atop bracing member hinged to the same stave as the bottom and disposedad:

staves extending longitudinally of jace'nt the upper end thereof tocollapse 4 with the staves and within the body portion or to hold thetop portion in anextended position by engagement with the inner faces ofthe staves, andmeans to hold the same in an. extended position.-

5. A crate of'the class described comprising stayes extendinglongitudinally. of the crate, flexible strips GIICllCllllpj andconnecting the staves, a bottom hingedto one,

opposite direction from the direction of fold of the bottom portion whenthe staves are collapsed together with the fiexiblehoops thereof, alining and top portion engaging said hoops, and the staves and lisposedinspaced relation tosaid staves atthe'insideto receiveand hoop thereintwhen extended.

, PRESTON HATGHER.

clips carried 1 by certain of;

